Cruella My Darling

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"Yeah, it's a long story," Horace sighed, wandering over to join us as we watched Cruella whirl about the loft in a tizzy.

"Well I'd quite like to hear it," I said, annoyed at the lack of willingness to explain why my girlfriend looked like she was on the verge of murdering someone.

"Well here goes then..." Horace fidgeted in his seat, settling in and I wondered what I had got myself into.

All three of them unraveled the story of Cruella and the Baroness, the fire, the unlikely allies and the schemes.

After 32 minutes exactly, they were finished telling me their tale and I was lost for words. It was truly the work of a novel.

"Well that's quite the origin story," was all I said.

"So now you can see why I am so infuriated with that psychopath," she growled angrily.

"So whats the plan then," Horace inquired.

"I don't have one. Not yet," she said thoughtfully.

"Question, why did you try so hard to get me an interview with the person whom you hate the most in the world? And why do you still work for her?" I asked Cruella.

"She has me bound to a bloody contract, and I can't go and design anywhere else until the winter collection is over," she explained with distain dancing in her voice.

I perched on the arm of the sofa and wrapped a single arm around her shoulders in a poor attempt to comfort her.

She nudged her head to rest on my chest briefly, letting me know she appreciated the comfort I was offering and then pulled away, standing up and taking a breath.

"I need her to suffer," she demanded to no one in particular.

"She will," I promised her.

The woman whipped her head around and regarded me as my eyes brimmed with loathing.

I saw her lips part and I knew I'd unintentionally flicked a switch. There's was nothing sexier to Cruella than stone cold hardness.

I smirked at her, teasing. She tried her hardest not to engage.

"How's about we just rob her?" Horace suggested.

"Mate what is there to rob, it's not like she has her money just lying around, and she moved all her jewels into high security after that black and white ball fiasco," Jasper shot down Horace's idea without hesitation.

Horace grunted.

We all sat, saying nothing, for a good few minutes. We were all desperately trying to come up with some sort of plan.

"I may have an idea," I pondered aloud.

All three of them looked at me hopefully.

"You know the Baroness has been stealing your designs since you begun your contract?" I continued.

"Yes?" Cruella confirmed.

"If there's some way of proving that she had stolen your gowns and passed them off as her own genius, then she'd be ruined, her credibility destroyed..." I felt a tingle of excitement as I said it, the idea of revenge on behalf of my dear Estella was riveting.

"Y/N you are fantastic!" she grabbed my head of hair with both hands and planted an enthusiastic kiss on my forehead. She lingered in front of my face and looked deep into my eyes, repeating,"you're fantastic."

I blushed as I reeled in the feeling of accomplishment and validation from my girlfriend. I needed that every now and then, the affirmation that I was doing something right, something useful, and that I wasn't just a waste of a life.

"Well, how are we gonna go about this then?" Horace asked in no particular direction.

We all glanced around for someone to pipe up with a more detailed plan, alas no one said a thing. Expected.

"I'm still dear friends with Anita Darling..." Cruella smiled.

Of course, she had told about the woman who had helped her break into the scene as Cruella some time ago. She was a journalist. This could be useful indeed.

"Perfect," I sat up, leaning forward into the room with my elbows settling on my knees for stability and balance,"so we get her to leak information right?"

"But how? No one is gonna believe your word against the baroness, you need infallible proof," Jasper reminded us.

We all sat and pondered some more. Forming a plan to destroy someone was harder than it looked. I was also admittedly distracted because I was hungry.

My stomach rumbled monstrously and due to the immense silence, it echoed and was heard by all in the loft. I cringed.

"Hungry?" Cruella laughed.

"Yes I am quite," I giggled at my own misfortune to conceal the fact that I was insanely embarrassed,"hold on, Jasper didn't you leave to get a Chinese takeaway earlier?"

He began fidgeting as soon as I questioned him and said,"Well yeah I did, but I walked in on a little something something," he was referring to me and Cruella not so long earlier, "and me and Horace started stress eating so."

"Good spring rolls they were," Horace nodded his head in satisfaction, his face content as he reflected.

"You imbecile," my head fell into my hands with disappointment. I was actually looking forward to it.

Cruella budged up on the sofa and suggested,"Why don't we just go out for dinner? Just you and me?"

"Hey no fair I wanna come," Horace whinged.

Both me and Cruella shot him a glare. He held his hands up in reaction and even Jasper was rolling his eyes.

"Alright alright I know I've eaten already. You go on then," he sighed.

Cruella and I had left the loft within 10 minutes. We decided to make our way over to oxford street to find a nice restaurant.

"I know a place," she said to me as we walked at a comfortable pace past the 7 o'clock bus.

The streets were a lot less busy than they been earlier in the day. I was glad for a little quiet. The air felt fresh and the night young. I had leaned to appreciate London at night.

I watched Cruella's head bob up and down as she strode in her giant heels upon the pavement, her hair swishing up and down as her body moved. 

She looked powerful when she walked, or when she did anything really. I couldn't help but swoon.

"Here," she stopped abruptly, and my daydreaming caused me to crash into her as my attention was elsewhere.

"This is the place," she said looking up at the intricate golden sign displayed up above the double doors of the building.

It read," Brasserie of light."